Blast From The Past

I sorted through the kids' books last month and gave them to Emma's teacher to use for her classroom, for her young son or to see if anyone else at school might like them. Mrs. Steinberger sent this photo home with Emma. Evidently it was in one of the books that we gave away. Wow! It is a photo of the last time that all of my brothers and sisters were together. The year was 1982. It was shortly before my father died - I was a senior in high school. From left to right: Tom, Janice, Helen, Susan, Dan (in back), Marjie, Judy & Dorothy.
Now, compare that to this one. It is the first picture of all of my brothers and sisters together. It was in 1964! From left to right in back row: Susan, Judy, Helen, Marjie - holding Janice. Front Row: Dorothy, Dan & Tom. I was just a couple of months old, my sister Helen had been married for a year!

Just One Word --- Yum!

I found this recipe through a facebook entry from my friend Catherine. We all loved it. Another friend said she was going to try making bread sticks out of it - I think that would also be yummy. So for the weekend, here's a yummy recipe compliments of The Family Homestead. We also love this honey whole wheat bread recipe.

Italian Pizza Crust

2 T yeast
3 cups warm water
1 T honey
¼ cups olive oil
1 t. salt
2 T Italian seasonings
1 t. minced garlic from the jar
1 t. minced onion, dried
½ cup parmesan cheese
¼ cup gluten flour
6 cups whole wheat flour (I use hard white wheat)

For the Bosch:
Combine all ingredients in the mixer and when well blended, knead for 4 to 5 minutes.

For other mixers or by hand:
Mix water, yeast, oil, and honey and let sit for 5 minutes. Add seasonings and flours. Knead for 7 to 10 minutes.

Allow the dough to sit for a few minutes and then roll divide into 3 pieces and roll to fit 3 15in pizza pans (if you like thick crust you can make 2 pizza’s instead of 3)

Let the dough rise for 10 to 15 minutes. Pre-bake the crust at 425 for about 6 minuets and then top with your favorite toppings. Return to oven and bake for about 12 to 15 minutes.

If this is more pizza dough than you will use, freeze either the dough or roll the dough out, pre-bake and then freeze.

St Patrick's Day

We got into the spirit of St Patrick's Day and decided that we would try and capture a leprechaun last night. First, we constructed a leprechaun trap. The theory is that the leprechaun would be drawn to the necklace on top of the box - he will climb up the handy ladder and then will fall through the top when he tries to get the necklace. We put some tissue in the bottom of the box to soften his fall - after all we want him to be able to tell us where his gold is.
This morning we found the trap sprung and the wily leprechaun had braided an escape rope from the tissue and had escaped from our trap. He must have been in a hurry to leave our house because he left behind some gold. He also played a few tricks. Everyone (including the puppy) has a green shamrock tattoo & the milk and butter have been turned green.
LOOK ITS SHAMROCKY!!!